Sam Allard / Scene
City Council President Blaine Griffin and Mayor Justin Bibb, outside the Justice Center. Both were involved in the city’s initial attempt, in April, to secure misdemeanor marijuana expungements for 4,077 people.
Nearly a year after Mayor Bibb walked into the Justice Center intent on enacting local marijuana reform, his actions have helped residents not only in Cleveland but statewide have the chance to get low-level marijuana convictions off their records.
Ohio Senate Bill 288, the 500-page criminal justice reform behemoth that Bibb helped lobby for, went into effect last week. The bill carried provisions to allow Ohioans convicted for carrying under 200 grams, or for those caught with paraphernalia, to have them expunged.
Through community outreach by the city and in expungement clinics, 838 convictions in Cleveland, all for minor possession, have been erased since Bibb took office.
In the bigger picture, S.B. 288 will allow the city to help seal the criminal records of some 4,077 cases. Previously, someone with a conviction would have to ask the court to act, whereas the new bill allows cities to act on behalf of residents en masse. (A judge will decide in each case whether to grant the motion or not based on a variety of factors.)
“At the end of the day, these policies are about doing right by our citizens and giving them more opportunities to thrive,” said Mayor Bibb in a press release. “We will continue to spread the message that the City…
